Poll: President Obama approval at 41 percent

President Barack Obama’s approval ratings have continued their slide in his fifth year in the White House, with the latest number down 14 points from last December, according to a new poll.

Just 41 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing, while 53 percent disapprove, according to a Pew Research Center poll out Friday. That 12 point deficit in approval is the largest of Obama’s presidency, according to Pew’s polling.

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Pew compared Obama’s approval to the last few presidents in their fifth year. Obama’s decline mimics that of George W. Bush, who registered a 36 percent approval rating at the same point in his term, down 12 points from the December before. Bill Clinton, on the other hand, was at a 58 percent approval the year after he was reelected.

Asked about their feelings on Obama’s handling of five specific issues, Americans only approved of his job on terrorism, 51 percent to 44 percent. The president registered his lowest rating ever on handling the economy, with 31 percent approving to 65 percent disapproving. His approval rating in each category besides terrorism was in the 30s.

Pew surveyed 2,003 American adults from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6 for the poll, which has an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.